SIAI Seminar Series and Poster Session

Seminar/poster session Date and time: The seminar will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. From 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Gianforte Family Hall (Gateway North 103). Followed by a Student Poster Session from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Ted Stair, at the Lobby of the Gateway North building.

Seminar Topic: Mimetic AI: Using AI to Model Human Behavior

Speaker: Siddhartha Sen, PhD; Principal Research Manager at Microsoft Research AI Frontier

Abstract: What does it mean to model human behavior? LLMs and frontier models have largely focused on imitating human language and text, but actions are becoming increasingly important (and expected) from agents that can "do" things for you. We will explore human action beyond simple imitation and try to capture what makes each of us unique — our skills, styles, strengths, and weaknesses — in domains like chess, video games, and Formula 1 racing. We will leverage the diversity of human behavior while grappling with the ethics of mimicking individual persons.

Bio: Siddhartha Sen is a Principal Research Manager at Microsoft AI who recently transitioned from Microsoft Research. He is currently leading an effort to create a foundation model for gaming with partners in Xbox. His research uses AI to model human behavior with the goal of helping humans improve their skills. [He did his undergraduate/masters at MIT, worked for a few years as a kernel developer in Windows Server, then went back to do his PhD at Princeton before joining Microsoft Research.]